NJPW star Bad Dude Tito recently appeared on the Shining Wizards podcast to discuss a wide range of topics, including his thoughts on working for IMPACT, joining TMDK, and potentially wrestling in New Japan’s prestigious G1 Climax tournament. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
On joining TMDK:
It was great. It was a big surprise. I really wasn’t expecting it. Those guys are great, and they taught me so much. They pretty much took me under their wing and showed me Japan and taught me that style. It’s a big deal to me. I don’t take that very lightly, and it’s a real honor. Those guys are all tough. They’re all badass. They all can work their asses off in the ring. So, for them to say “join us,” to me that says hey, you’re one of us. You’re a bad motherfucker. You’re tough, and can handle your shit. It was a “welcome to the club” sort of thing.
On working IMPACT:
It was cool. I really liked working at IMPACT. I want to go back, if they’d have me. It’s really cool because I was a big ECW guy and they have a lot of ECW heads there. So that was awesome, and they all had great things to say about my work. Whenever you look up to someone, and they compliment you, to me that’s a big thing. I’m super into that. That pumps me up. Makes me know I’m doing the right thing. I would like to get another run against Ace Austin and (Chris) Bey. To me they’re really good juniors, but I’m a heavyweight bro. Shane’s a heavyweight. They may have beat us that night, but I feel like I didn’t give it my all. I kind of left some of it back a little bit. It wasn’t 100%, I felt. If I go back, I’d know how to plan for it, what to look for, and I know exactly what I would do if I got brought back.
Not being named for The G1:
I wasn’t really expecting it this year. I was hoping to be over there for some of the tag stuff. But, I’m always motivated. I have a chip on my shoulder. I’m always hungry. I’m always trying to have the best matches possible, that way people can notice me. I stay hungry. I stay motivated. What is that they say about luck? Preparation plus timing, that’s what luck is. It’s just a matter of time. I think if I just keep banging out these matches, and keep killing it for New Japan, maybe next year might be my time.